Bidspirit auction | Pesach Hagaddah with the Commentary

Pesach Hagaddah with the Commentary of the Abarbanel – Brno, 1758 * Hagaddah Shel Pesach with the commentary of the Abarbanel printed alongside the text of the Hagaddah, together with a commentary according to the hidden realms of Torah printed at the bottom of the pages. This is the first Hagaddah ever printed in Brno, which is the city of Brünn in the Czech Republic. Printed on the verso of the title page are the simanim of the Seder night filling the entire page, with the royal emblem printed at the top. Printed at the end of the Hagaddah are Yiddish translations of the piyutim “Adir Hu”, “Echad Mi Yodea”, and “Chad Gadya.” The Hagaddah also includes instructions in Yiddish. The opening letters of each section are printed in large and impressive initials in an Ashkenazic style that is exceedingly uncommon in Hebrew printing. Brno [Brünn], 1758. Page Count: 30 leaves. Size: Approx. 19.5 cm. Condition : Good to fair; restoration to the upper left corner of the first four leaves, with a few words supplied in facsimile. Typical wear and stains. A small number of holes. On several leaves, remnants of matzah have been preserved! Bibliography : Otzar HaHagaddos 221. A photograph of the title page of this copy appears on the Otzar HaSefer HaIvri CD (Winograd). Provenance : William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv. - - - - - - - - - - - On the title page are early, unidentified signatures. Among them are two signatures: “ HaKatan Yozefa of Frankfurt am Main .” Several rabbanim are known by this name, including Rabbi Yosef Yozefa Segal, author of Noheg Ketzon Yosef on the customs of Frankfurt, who passed away in 1759, and others. - - - - - - - - - - - The Rarity of Hebrew Books in This Time and Region In his book, History of Hebrew Printing in Europe , bibliographer C. D. Friedberg notes that the present printer (Mr. Neumann) obtained a special license from Queen Maria Theresa in 1753 to print Hebrew books. This was significant, because she was not positively inclined toward Jews, and as a result, the importation of Hebrew books from other countries into her territories — such as Hungary and Bohemia — was prohibited. Friedberg writes: “After Mr. Neumann fulfilled the obligation imposed upon him [as stated in the license], the government ordered the border guards to confiscate every Hebrew book brought into the country, and likewise decreed a ban in all the synagogues of the land upon any person who would dare to bring books from abroad” (ibid., vol. I, p. 80).